grammar king mike
01-04-2008, 01:26 AM
Leeds A-Soc has been running a successful course, One Life, that is based around the secular non-believer world view. Ie how to enjoy a fullfilling life without resorting to god. We did include a session on humanism, although my personal view is that a secular, rational life can be led without it.
I'd be interested in finding out more about that One Life, it sounds like something that could be replicated elsewhere...
In any case, I don't think anyone is suggesting that an atheist cannot live without the humanist viewpoint, it's just that there are certain things that religion is very good at, which are perhaps desirable for some atheists.
Such things as communal singing, ceremonies, sermons, the word 'spirituality', even collection plates, they might all seem like religious things, but in reality they're not, it's just that religion has held a monopoly over them for so long that we immediately assume religion when we hear of them. Some humanists (by no means all) believe that it's time to take some of these things back. There is no illogical belief in humanism; it is not a religion.
I'd be interested in finding out more about that One Life, it sounds like something that could be replicated elsewhere...
In any case, I don't think anyone is suggesting that an atheist cannot live without the humanist viewpoint, it's just that there are certain things that religion is very good at, which are perhaps desirable for some atheists.
Such things as communal singing, ceremonies, sermons, the word 'spirituality', even collection plates, they might all seem like religious things, but in reality they're not, it's just that religion has held a monopoly over them for so long that we immediately assume religion when we hear of them. Some humanists (by no means all) believe that it's time to take some of these things back. There is no illogical belief in humanism; it is not a religion.